Christmas In New York
by Tropical Medlies
Summary: Dani is absolutely in love with the Christmas season. You're absolutely in love with her. One-shot.


Christmas with Dani is so different from what you've come to expect.

You're used to having a quiet Christmas around a small, carefully decorated tree, with just your parents and sometimes your _abuela_ for company. You remember waking up earlier than usual and racing them downstairs and finding everything you asked for from "Santa." It got boring after a while, knowing exactly what was going to be there. Your parents would come downstairs, bleary-eyed, after you'd already torn into your gifts. They'd ask if you were satisfied, make themselves some coffee, and that would be that. No dinner, no special movies, nothing like that.

Brittany knew that your parents weren't the best at capturing the holiday spirit, and she would try her best to keep the magic alive for you, but it got tiresome having to pretend that you believed in Santa for her. It got tiresome leaving out cookies for an imaginary fat dude who managed to squeeze himself down a skinny chimney. And it definitely got tiresome having to pull on your most water-resistant clothes and spend hours outside freezing your tits off while having to pretend you were having an awesome time.

You expected your first Christmas in New York to include lots of caroling with Rachel and Kurt around a small, Broadway-themed tree, and the three of you swapping cheap, possibly handmade presents. Maybe there would be some Chinese takeout ordered.

Dani, however, is absolutely in love with the Christmas season. From December 1st all the way to New Year's, she is a whirlwind of winter love and warm sweaters and peppermint scents.

She takes you on a date to see the lighting of the Rockefeller tree, and she spends an afternoon patiently teaching you how to ice skate at Bryant Park. She doesn't even laugh when you manage to simultaneously fall and take out a little kid. She just helps you up and asks if you're all right and buys you a hot chocolate to soothe you.

You can't help but feel an overwhelming affection whenever you see Dani's face light up at all of the lights and the Macy's decorated window. You learn to love candy canes for her, since she almost always has one on hand and more often than not tastes like it. (You learn to love it because damn, do you love kissing her.) She brings you to a small Christmas tree lot and picks out the tiniest, most Charlie Brown-esque one, and the two of you decorate it with handmade paper snowflakes and inexpensive ornaments from the CVS down the street. She teaches you how to make spritz cookies, which apparently her grandma loved to bake with her, and you unsurprisingly almost set the apartment on fire. This time, she laughs until she almost throws up, then kisses the tip of your nose and reassures you that you look adorable in your apron.

When the first snowfall arrives, so does Dani at your door, beaming so hard that the dimple in her chin that you adore appears. She has on mittens of all things. She tells you that the two of you are going to Central Park and she will not take no for an answer. She tells you to wear old clothes that you don't mind getting wet, and unlike when Brittany said that, you feel excitement instead of dread.

You can't help but watch Dani as you make your way to Central Park. Everything seems to excite her; she acts like a little kid, sticking out her tongue to catch snowflakes and holding onto your hand like it's a lifeline. Instead of bothering you and making you want to snap at her to act her age, it's incredibly endearing and you find yourself kissing her more than usual. When you get to the park, she tackles you into the snow and rolls around so she can make a haphazard snow angel. You find yourself joining her and feeling absolutely ridiculous in the best way.

She climbs on top of you (passer-bys be damned) and grins. You find yourself breathless at how the snowflakes are clinging to her blue hair (which you think is the sexiest thing ever, despite Kurt's constant bitching that it's tacky and takes away from the appeal of Pamela Lansbury). You find yourself breathless at how bright her eyes are. You find yourself breathless at how beautiful she is when she's enamored with life.

_I love you_ is on the tip of your tongue, and you have to swallow the words as her lips cover yours and her hand cradles your head.

Dani sleeps over on Christmas Eve and wakes you up at six in the morning so that she can present you with a cup of mint hot chocolate. She guides you into the living room, where, somehow, she managed to string up lights overnight and place a small pile of gifts under your scraggly tree. You suddenly feel bad about only getting her one present, and you say so. She laughs and tells you that it's the thought that counts, and you once again wonder how you find yourself so lucky to have her.

This time you can't swallow the words, and when you tell her you love her, standing there in the living room in your mismatched pajamas with wild hair and no makeup, she smiles wider than she has the entire Christmas season. She looks more in awe than she has at anything else, even the Rockefeller tree or the snow coating Central Park. And when she says it back, you feel warmer than any hot chocolate ever could make you.

As she fawns over the necklace you got her while curled up on your lap, you find yourself thinking that this is the best Christmas on record. You find yourself hoping that the rest of your Christmases are exactly like this.


End file.
